First Impressions for SINE

Student Industry Networking Event

It is just after 6pm - the Sunday night icebreaker is wrapping up. I watch as volunteers carefully check names off the list and scan badge barcodes, while a few students wait on the sidelines – the event is so popular so they are hoping that a someone won’t show up and a space will open up.  Now in its 9th year, the Student Industry Networking Event has become a not-to-be-missed feature of Roundup for students and industry reps alike.  As the space in Currents Restaurant begins to fill up, it becomes clear to me that this year will be its biggest yet. I glance around the room and notice the interesting mingling of university and business worlds, reflected both in the food and the dress of the attendees. The traditional fare provided at SINE is pizza - a familiar part of many a university student’s diet.  And yet the few pairs of jeans in the room are sported by industry reps, while the students are dressed to impress. 

The volume rises as people eagerly network in the elbow-to-elbow crowd, until a call over the PA system quiets the hubbub for the opening speakers. Steve Rowins, Chief Geologist of the BC Geological Survey, speaks of the valuable field experience to be gained as a summer student.  Only a handful of students are hired by the BCGS each year, and they return to school in the fall with mapping experience unparallelled by industry.  Victoria Yehl of Teck Resources - this year’s corporate sponsor of SINE - advises everyone in the room to use this night as an opportunity to make new connections and not to get caught up talking with familiar faces. Her advice to students is to take a job for the experience it offers and not for the money, however tempting. The experience and knowledge gained as an undergraduate is key to gaining a competitive edge upon graduation.  Victoria also provides some simple yet important resume tips: when submitting a resume electronically, include your name in the filename - don’t just name it ‘resume’ - and always spellcheck!

After the speakers finish, the time comes for the evening’s draw for a $500 tuition top-up. The three student recipients are Rachelle Sarrazin, a 2nd year Geology student from UVic, and Matt Dick and Jesse Weng, both 1st year students in BCIT’s Mining and Mineral Exploration Technology program.  Congratulations to this year’s winners!

As people return to chatting up new contacts and swapping business cards, I start to circulate the room to do some networking of my own.  I speak with nervous students who are attending Roundup for the first time, confident 3rd and 4th years with a summer or two of work experience under their belt, and eager industry reps hoping to find some prospective employees.  I speak with Roman Wasylechko, of Abitibi Geophysics, about what it takes to succeed in the field.

Field work takes perseverance and hard work, he says, but it can’t be beat for adventure-seekers.  How else do you describe a room full of people, itching for the chance to spend their summer bushwhacking and riding in helicopters?